No, I'm just going to have to deal with the cost I think. It's going to be about $4.89 a cage so that's not super bad considering a large tomato cage is running about the same price. Hey if you have the space that you could do a big long row, you could set a few t-posts and run wire between them. This is another method I was considering,and may still do if I get down to it and the cages are too bulky or cost-prohibitive.

I prune the lower branches off completely. LOL A little at a time, I try to do it gradually as they grow. If yours are full grown you'll want to do the same in order to avoid shocking them. Shock can do damage to the fruit set. Just take a couple branches off the bottom, anything that's touching the dirt or a few inches from it. Next week do a little more and so on until they are clear of the ground by a foot.